LDS Church responds to leaked videos of private meetings of Mormon apostles

An LDS Church spokesman responded Sunday to the unauthorized leak of 15 videos of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in private meetings.

“Most of these videos appear to be from briefings received by senior church leaders between 2007 and 2012,” church spokesman Eric Hawkins said. “In these committee meetings, presentations are routinely received from various religious, political and subject-matter experts on a variety of topics.

“The purpose,” he added, “is to understand issues that may face the church and is in pursuit of the obligation church leaders feel to be informed on and have open discussion about current issues. This is an informational forum, not a decision-making body.”

The videos show senior leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in meetings receiving briefings on issues from experts like former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and BYU professors like elections expert David Magleby.

The Deseret News provided an inside look here at how members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve maintain relevant worldviews by engaging in numerous forms of continuing education.

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